


they grow in their own way

by peachbees



Series: unchained melody 'verse [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bedtime, Bedtime Stories, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Toddlers, bathtime, happy babies, happy dads, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 07:52:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9984002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachbees/pseuds/peachbees
Summary: It’s story time, which means that the babies have huddled up on the living room couch, eyes wide and rapt with attention...





	

**Author's Note:**

> hello!!! ヾ(☆'∀'☆) i'm back with another installment of the domestic au!!! a very sweet anon on tumblr asked me for headcanons, and i decided to surprise them with a new fic!! this is actually a part of a larger piece i started writing in november, but since thanksgiving has come and gone, i haven't been in the mood to continue it--so i thought i'd post at least Something from it!! 
> 
> ofc this is dedicated to j @lukeskyliquor, who not only created this au with me, but also makes the world a better place and makes my life way happier ♡( ◡‿◡ ) 
> 
> NOTES: 
> 
> -title comes from a quote by madeline l'engle: "stories are like children. they grow in their own way." 
> 
> \- artoo is a french bulldog, and luke's service dog (i think i mentioned that previously, but he actually appears this time) 
> 
> -luke is still a preschool teacher, and han still works at a bakery with anakin 
> 
> -rey's middle name comes from "hemera", the goddess of daylight because she was born in the summer at dawn (she's a gemini, babes ;) ) 
> 
> \- han and luke call each other peaches and cream because apparently when they were filming the original trilogy, one of the crew members' kids came to set all the time and couldn't pronounce "harrison", so harrison told him to call him peaches, and mark decided that he wanted to be called cream, and it's really cute??? 
> 
> -ben is autistic + nonverbal, so he communicates almost exclusively in asl at this stage in his life! i described real signs as well as i could, but if you want a visual representation of what each one looks like, http://www.handspeak.com/word/ saved my life and helped me describe a lot of the signs! 
> 
> let me know how you like it!!! and as usual, if you have any requests, feel free to come to my tumblr and ask for a oneshot/drabble!! ♡

 

 

_Benjamin Orion, five years old_

 

_Rey Hemera, two years old_

 

It’s story time, which means that the babies have huddled up on the living room couch, eyes wide and rapt with attention—which is a feat in of itself. Toddlers never focus on much of anything, especially toddlers like Rey, whose mind is more like a bunch of roaring trains bolting down tangled tracks than an actual path of thought. But even she has pulled her knees to her chest and is watching intently as her father spins another wild tale in his magical story world. 

 

“And _then_ , right as the farm boy was walking away, the pilot called his name”— 

 

Ben’s eyes are wide as he holds his left hand behind his right, thumbs out. He eagerly moves his left hand to rest in front of his right one. _Next?_

 

“Well, the farm boy turned around and”—

 

“And _what_?” Rey demands, eyes alight and sparkling. 

 

“If you’d let me finish”—

 

Ben’s tiny hand folds, fingertips pressing to the side of his chin, and then lifting to his upper cheek. _Kiss?_

 

“Well”—

 

He repeats the motion, this time with more fervor . _Kiss!_

 

“Well, they didn’t kiss,” Han announces, and Ben groans and flops his face onto the pillow. 

 

Ben’s eyebrows furrow and he frowns in frustration. He holds his index finger to his chin, folding it as he moves his hand foreword. He holds out his thumb and his pinky. _Really?_

 

Han holds out his hands, requesting silence. “Okay. So the pilot turned around, and the smuggler said”— 

 

This time, Ben heaves a weary sigh. As if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, he points to himself, and then folds his arms over his chest before pointing at Han. _I love you!_ After all, you don’t just ask someone to run away with you on their spaceship if you’re not in love with them, right? That has to be the only logical explanation!

 

“Actually, he said _may the Force be with you_ , and”—Han laughs when Ben rolls his eyes and Rey pokes her brother’s shoulder with a triumphant laugh. She’s made it very clear that she’s _not_ a fan of kissing, especially in stories. “And he turned around, and he got onto his ship, and he left.” 

 

Ben scoffs. He signs _Really?_ again, but he’s even more vexed this time than the last. 

 

“Yeah,” Han replies, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “He left. And the farm boy got into his plane, and”—

 

Ben’s eyebrows furrow in confusion.He holds is hand close to the side of his head and keeps his pinkies up as he folds his other fingerstwice. _Why?_

 

“Why’d he leave?” Han asks, “Well, he left ‘cause”— 

 

Tiny, quick fingers spell out _J-E-R-K._

 

Han snorts out another laugh.“Okay, okay, can I finish?” He raises his eyebrows and waits for Ben to drag his hands down his face and flop back onto the couch. “Okay. So the farm boy got into his plane, and flew out towards the _Death Star_ , and”—

 

“ _Death Star_?” Luke asks from the staircase, leaning against the railing and arching an eyebrow at Han, “I thought this was supposed to be a _family friendly story_.” Han’s stories are incredible, but they often do nothing to get the kids to calm down; in fact, it just winds them up more. “I don’t know where you get this stuff from, babe.” 

 

Rey wiggles in her seat. “ _Death Star_!” 

 

Ben nods eagerly and circles his index finger around his fist. _Planet_. Then he holds his fists together, opening his fingers as he pulls them apart. _Explode._

 

Luke gives Han that _look_. “It made the planet explode?” 

 

“ _Pew! Pew! Pew!_ ” Rey shouts, waving her fingers around like she’s shooting tiny guns. 

 

Han cringes, giving Luke a sheepish grin. “That, uh…It happened very quickly.” 

 

“Uh huh…” However, Luke can’t help but smile. Yeah, the whole idea of some flying space station opening fire on planets full of people doesn’t exactly constitute as a _bedtime story_ , but Han gets so animated when he spins these wild, out-of-this-world tales, and the kids absolutely love it. Luke loves it too. He loves seeing Han get so excited, jumping from couch to chair, waving his fingers around like laser guns, or acting out an entire two-person sword fight all by himself. It’s endearing, and even a little bit hilarious. Luke sits down on the steps. “So what happened next?” 

 

“Huh?” Han asks. 

 

“So, the pilot got into his spaceship and flew towards the, uh, the _Death_ _Thingy_ , right?” 

 

“ _Death Star_ ,” Rey corrects him. 

 

Luke nods. “Right. The _Death Star_. So what happened next?” 

 

Han’s eyes light up and sparkle, and he gazes at Luke for a moment before jumping to attention. “Okay, so he flew towards the _Death Star_ , and he and the other pilots started shooting at it!” He holds his hands in front of him and runs in a circle around the room, pretending to fly a fantasy fighter jet. He presses his thumbs down against his mid-digits to mimic pushing buttons that fire lasers. Artoo yaps and flies off the couch, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he jumps about at Han’s heels and chases him around the room. “ _Pew! Pew! Pew! BANG!”_ The sound effects are quite obviously Rey’s favorite part, because she kicks her feet and absolutely screams with laughter. “And then—and then the enemy ships appeared far off in the distance and started getting closer—and shooting back!” He runs across the room again, imitating a low, groaning engine. “ _Ree-ree-ree! POW!_ And they shot down Rebel ship after Rebel ship! _BOOM!_ The Rebel ships started blowing up like Twinkies in the microwave”— 

 

That part gets the kids giggling, in spite of the suspense. Ben has his pillow up nearly to his ears, squeezing it as his eyes grow wide with worry and interest. Rey doesn’t seem to quite understand the gravity of the situation, and bounces and sways about in her seat, eager to hear what happens next. It even gets an amused chuckle out Luke, who ducks his head, rolling his eyes; he loves this ridiculous man, and all his outrageous stories. 

 

“And then, who showed up to face off with the farm boy-turned-hero?” 

 

“Who?” Rey all but screams. 

 

“The _scary guy in the mask_!” 

 

Ben pumps his fist excitedly. Much of the time, he’s quiet and thoughtful, very to-himself. It’s hard to get him to crawl out of his shell. But there’s something about Han’s stories that get him rowdy and excited. He taps his middle finger to his chin eagerly. _Favorite!_

 

Han wrinkles his nose. “Yeah. I don’t really know why, but okay.” He continues running about the room, steering his imaginary spaceship as he does. “Okay, so the guy in the mask started shooting, and the farm boy started shooting, and it looks like all was lost, like our brave, courageous hero wasn’t going to pull through”— Luke raises his eyebrow, and Ben and Rey burst into tearful protest. “Hold on! Hold on! I’m not done! It’s gonna be okay.” Han practically leaps across the room. “ _BOOM_! Someone fired a perfect shot, hitting the _Death Star_ and making the guy in the mask fly away all scared!” 

 

The children watch raptly as Han bounces and runs in circles, firing fake lasers at a fake space station, describing his every move he makes in the context of the story. Luke tries his best to stifle laughter, because to the kids, this is _very_ serious and _very_ suspenseful, but it’s hard to be serious when Han looks so endearing, doing somersaults and shooting his little finger blasters. 

 

“While the hero and the princess reunited, the smuggler ran towards them, and the hero ran into his arms”— 

 

_Kiss?_ Ben signs eagerly. 

 

“Well, uh, no.” Han plops down on the ground, crossing his legs. “Why do you want them to kiss so bad?” 

 

Ben shrugs. He spells out _H-E-R-O_ and then points to Luke. He doesn’t quite know the word for _smuggler_ , but what he can sign is _pirate_ , and he does so, opening his hands and lifting the left one over his eye, tapping twice. He points to Han. He holds out his index and middle finger and taps them to each shoulder before pulling them diagonally down his side and and tapping them to his side. _Princess._ He holds his fist to his face and rubs his thumb twice down the length of his cheek. At first, Han mistakes the sign for _girl_ , but when Ben does it once more, he realizes that he’s signing _aunt._

 

Han flushes and waves is hands about awkwardly. “What? What gave you that idea, I never said that!” Luke can tell by the way he grins that it’s absolutely true. “That’s not”— 

 

“So then,” Luke starts off as he pushes himself up off the stairs, stepping over to Han and sitting next to him, “The hero ran into the smuggler’s arms”—He wraps himself around Han, nuzzling at his cheek—“And he gave him a kiss.” He grins and pulls Han close, kissing him. Rey, of course, covers her eyes and screams, but Ben looks incredibly pleased. “And another one…And another one.” 

 

“That’s, uh, that’s not what happened,” Han mumbles against Luke’s lips, “There was a whole medal ceremony, they got medals, and”— 

 

“No,” Luke protests, “They totally kissed.” He grins at thetoddlers on the couch. “And _then_ , they had two beautiful babies who were in desperate need of baths.” Immediately, Rey starts screaming again and absconds from the couch, knowing from experience that she’s first, and that bath time means getting her hair washed—that, and bedtime. Two of her least favorite things. She races through the living room, slipping and nearly crashing face-first into the coffee table. “Rey, baby—careful of the table!” In her moment of panic, her guard drops and Luke grabs her. “Gotcha!”She fusses and squirms in his arms, voicing her displeasures very loudly. 

 

“No! No! No! No!” 

 

“Come on, time for a bath, monkey.” 

 

She pulls at Luke’s sweater, even yanks at his hair a little bit, and kicks her little feet. She nearly whacks him in the stomach a few times, but he manages to hold her a little further away from him every time. She shrieks and screams as he carries her upstairs, and down the hall, and into the bathroom. He sets her down on the floor, and makes sure to lock the door so she can’t go running out naked into the yard (yes, this has happened before, and yes, it’s happened more than once). Bath time with Ben is very much an art, but bath time with Rey is like defusing a bomb. 

 

“No, Daddy!” she announces, stomping her foot and pouting. “No!”

 

Luke sighs and sinks down to his knees, setting a hand on her cheek. She’s so damn cute that he can’t be irritated with her. Her arms cross, and her chubby little cheeks puff out sulkily. “Come on, baby girl”—

 

“No!” 

 

“Rey.” Luke grows stern, puts on his teacher voice. As much as he loves being a fun dad, the kind who gives piggyback rides and gets into tickle fights, and helps the kids with arts and crafts—he knows that parenting isn’t all fun, and sometimes there’s a little give and take. “You’ve gotta take a bath, okay?” 

 

Rey fidgets and whines. “But _why_?” 

 

“Because you need to be clean,” he explains, not the type to say _“Because I said so”_ , “Don’t you want to smell good?” He knows that the answer is probably going to be no, because most toddlers don’t really care how they smell, aside from ones like Ben who have very sensitive noses. Luke sighs and tries again. “You can play with the bubbles and the duckies, doesn’t that sound fun?” 

 

Rey hesitates. “No…!” 

 

“What, that doesn’t sound fun?” He pouts, pretending to be offended, “So you don’t even want to play with _this_?” Luke shows Rey a little red tablet held between his thumb and forefinger. 

 

“Candy!” she squeals. 

 

Luke makes a face. “Well, um, no, it’s not candy, but watch this!” He kneels down by the tub, dropping the tablet into the water. Immediately, it begins to fizz and dissolve, turning the water a deep shade of pink. Her eyes grow wide as she watches the colors change, mouth dropping open in amazement. Toddlers can be tiring, sure, but moments like this, when he gets to see her face whenever she learns something new, makes all the bath time battles (and nap time battles, and bedtime battles, and hair-brushing battles) worth it. “Isn’t that cool?” 

 

Rey immediately runs over to the water, dipping her hand in it and laughing with delight. “Whoa!” 

 

“You wanna get in?” Luke asks hopefully, sighing with relief when Rey nods. He helps her out of her clothes, folding them and setting them on the floor by the sink. She wiggles excitedly at the edge of the tub dipping her toe in the water and giggling. “Hold on! One more thing!” Luke sets his hands on her little shoulders. “Put out your hands. And close your eyes. Okay?” She nods, doing as she’s told for once, and he places a small blue capsule in her palm. “Okay! Open up!” 

 

“A pill?” she asks curiously, holding up the capsule and inspecting it. 

 

“Nope.” Luke grins. “It’s magic.” 

 

Rey’s eyes go wide again. “Magic?”

 

“Yeah, it’s special bath time magic,” he promises her, “But the magic’ll only work if you hold it in your hands under the water for your whole bath and stay really still. Can you do that?” Trying to get Rey to enjoy her bath is nothing but trial and error, he’s found. If this doesn’t work, he has a bunch of other tricks up his sleeve, but the idea of magic really seems to have her intrigued. 

 

She squints at the capsule. “How?” she asks, wrinkling up her nose. 

 

Luke shrugs and kisses her cheek. “I don’t know, monkey! That’s why it’s _magic_!” Actually, he could explain it very easily with simple _science_ —he could explain the colored water too, and how sodium bicarbonate and citric acid react with with water and with each other—but Rey’s not at the age where she cares about all that. She’s still at the age where she believes in magic. Hopefully, she’ll always believe in magic, but just call it science. He picks her up, setting her down in the water before it gets cold. “Remember to hold it and keep really still, okay?” 

 

She nods, but he’s not quite sure if she gets it or not. He guesses they’ll find out. 

 

Luke finds that, thanks to the colored water and the magic capsule, he’s able to wash Rey’s tiny body without much of a problem, even places like her tummy, where she’s ticklish and usually puts up a fight. The real test comes when he goes to wash her hair, which usually feels a lot like trying to bathe a yowling cat. However, she barely moves when he carefully dumps the water over her head, keeping his hand shielded over her eyes; she’s completely distracted by the magic cupped in her palms, and the rubber duckies and other bath toys floating about. He washes her long, soft hair without too much protest, though she grumbles and wiggles when he tries to run a comb through it with the conditioner. Even so, there’s none of the shrieking and wailing that usually comes when he tries combing her hair. 

 

“Okay!” He kisses the top of her wet head; her hair is soft and clean, and it smells like strawberries. She’s the cutest little thing, with her chubby cheeks and her little dimples. “Ready to see what the magic did? I think it worked—you were so well behaved…But you’ll have to look to find out!” 

 

She nods her head vigorously, gasping loudly when she opens her hands. “Wow!” A little blue sponge in the shape of a dolphin floats out of her palm and sits atop the water. She looks back at her Daddy with wide, amazed eyes and a huge smile, making sure that he’s seeing this mind-blowing stuff. “Fishy!” 

 

“Yeah, it’s a dolphin! Dolphins are actually one of the smartest”—

 

“Fishy!” Rey yells excitedly, and Luke laughs and nods. 

 

“Yep. Fishy.” 

 

She squeezes the dolphin a little bit, eyebrows shooting up when it squishes and re-inflates in her tiny fist. She does this several more times before getting bored and shivering, glancing at Luke. “Out!” she orders, lifting her arms. 

 

“Come here, little monkey!” Luke scoops Rey up into her towel, giving her a quick rub to get her dry. It’s one of those irresistible poncho ones (okay, but to Luke, every poncho is irresistible) with the animal faces. He pulls the monkey hood over her head, trying not to laugh when she grins widely at him. “You’re too cute, you know that?” He kisses her cheek and smiles at her. He loves her so much that his heart can barely handle it, and he feels like he’s about to burst. “I love you.” 

 

Rey’s smile is so big that it crinkles up the bridge of her nose. “Love you, Daddy!” She has the sweetest little voice, and Luke can’t help but give her a hug and a kiss before draining the water and getting her into her pajamas. She likes the jammies part, but not the going to bed part. 

 

He zips up the back of her sock monkey footie pajamas (because she’s a toddler with a penchant for ripping her clothes off and running about the house naked in the middle of the night ) and lifts her up onto her step stool so she can brush her teeth. He counts the seconds, making sure she's brushed them for the appropriate amount of time, and catches her yawning as she rubs the toothpaste bubbles from her chin. 

 

“Looks like somebody’s tired, huh?” Rey is too sleepy to protest as Luke picks her up and carries her out, passing Han and Ben in the hallway. Luke waves at them, giving Rey one more kiss on the head before passing her to Han. “I’ll see you after story time to say goodnight, okay, monkey? I have to give Ben his bath now.” 

 

Over the course of the past five years, they’ve worked out a seamless system of baby-exchanging, and sometimes pass their children off to each other without even thinking about it. Rey’s eyes flicker with rebellion, but her eyelids begin to sag when Han rubs her back with a warm, heavy hand. 

 

Ben is a little heavier, a little harder to pick up, but Luke still manages to carry him to the bathroom; years of carrying clingy students around has built up his arm strength and made him a toddler’s perfect human jungle gym. He sets Ben down on the floor, placing his elephant-hood towel poncho and folded up cloud pajamas (complete with a pair of socks rolled into a ball) on the floor next to the bathtub. 

 

Then, Luke kneels down so he can help him out of his clothes, folding those too. He puts Ben in his elephant towel and holds him in his lap as he begins to fill the tub with fresh, warm water. He even lets Ben squirt the soap in all by himself to create the bubbles because he’s a Big Boy Now (which turns out to be a horrible idea because the bubbles grow so tall that they nearly swallow Ben up, but he looks so cute with his little face sticking out of the frothy white mass that Luke can’t be bothered to be even mildly worried about it). Ben, too, gets his own special little tablet to place in the water, a blue one that turns the water periwinkle. 

 

Ben’s so excitedthat he points to the water with a huge, excited smile and sparkly eyes, bouncing about on the tile floor. The hood of his little poncho falls from his head in all the commotion. 

 

“You wanna get in?” Luke asks, knowing the answer. Sure enough, Ben’s crooked grin grows even wider and he nods his head fervently. “Okay, okay! I know you love your bath time. Come here, pumpkin!” Immediately, Ben folds himself into his Daddy’s waiting arms, accepting a kiss on the head as his towel is pulled off and folded before he’s placed carefully into the water. He too gets a special magic capsule, his red to oppose Rey’s blue one, and he holds it patiently in his hands as Luke washes him down.

 

Ben is far easier to bathe, and sometimes even wants to take baths in the middle of the day. Han always grins and tells him that he’s just like his Daddy that way. He doesn’t fuss or whine when Luke washes his hair, only squeezes his eyes shut to keep any stray suds away. In fact, the only time he puts up a fight is when it’s time to get out. 

 

Luke gives him a kiss on his chubby little cheek. “You ready to come out now, baby?” he asks, laughing when Ben shakes his head no. He reaches into the water, searching for his son’s tiny hand, holding his fingers close for inspection. “But look at your fingers, Ben! They’re like little raisins!” He gives Ben’s palm a little kiss. “Don’t you wanna see what the magic made?” Eagerly, Ben opens his hands, gasping in surprise when he sees a little red sheep floating in his palms. Luke takes this as an opportunity to lift him out of the tub and place him carefully on the bath mat below. “Out you go! What animal you did you get?” Wordlessly and beaming, Ben shoves the sheep in Luke’s face, waving it a little. “Wow! A sheep! Do you know what sound a sheep makes?” 

 

Ben bites his lip when he smiles, just like Luke does. He signs out _B-A-A._

 

“Yeah! Good job, buddy!” Luke knows it might be a little repetitive at this point, listing off the animals and what sounds they make, but every moment he spends with his kids is one where he can help them learn. And Ben doesn’t seem to mind—in fact, he seems very proud of himself, and he keeps looking at his little spongy sheep as Luke wraps him back up in his elephant towel. He rubs the little trunk and then boops Ben on the nose. Once he dresses him up in his pajamas, Luke picks Ben up by the hips and sets him on the stool by the sink, which he’s almost too tall for.

 

Soon, Ben isn’t going to need the step stoolanymore, and he’s not going to fit into his little elephant towel, and he’s going to be in _kindergarten_ , and he’s going to be able to read stories to himself, and he won’t need his Papa to read to him anymore, and he won’t need his Daddy to cut his pizza up into little bite sized pieces, and they won’t be able to pick him up and carry him…As Ben brushes his teeth, Luke is struck by all of this and is almost mournful at the thought until he remembers that every day Ben is growing and learning, and that’s why he and Han wanted children in the first place: to watch them grow and help them learn. He just…doesn’t know where the time has gone, is all. 

 

It takes him a second to notice that his eyes are just the slightest bit wet. 

 

“Okay, peanut!” Luke grunts as he scoops Ben back up because he _is_ getting heavier. “Ready for Papa to read you a story?” Ben, having moved past his brief spell of rowdiness during Han’s space fairytale, nods sleepily and leans his head against Luke’s shoulder, his little fists clenching in his sweater. If there’s something Ben loves more than bath time, it’s sleeping, and if there’s something he loves more than sleeping, it’s being held. 

 

Luke carries him to his room and lays him down in his bed, helping him get cozy. He picks up Ben’s Ellie (the one Han had bought on February fifteenth, five February fifteenths ago, the day after he found out that Ben was going to be a part of their lives), pressing her trunk to his cheek like she’s giving him a little kiss. 

 

“Okay…” He tucks Ben in with great care and kisses him on the forehead, smoothing back his hair gently with his palm. “I’ll be back in a little bit to say goodnight.” Ben nods softly and shuffles back against his pillow, nice and comfy. 

 

Again, Luke sees Han in passing. This time, he steps close and folds himself in his arms. 

 

“Rey just got her stories, she’s all ready for—oh…” Han pulls Luke to his chest and gives him a squeeze, pressing his lips to the top of his head. “Hey there.” 

 

“Hi,” Luke mumbles against his shoulder. Han’s fingertips stroke over the soft hair at the nape of Luke’s neck, making him shiver just a little. “Love you.” 

 

Han doesn’t act smug, or wrinkle his nose, or say _I know_. Instead, he just smiles, kissing Luke’s head again. “Love you too. Lots.”  Now, whenever he kisses him, Han remembers what it was like to kiss him on their _wedding day_ last June. He remembers the tears on both of their cheeks, remembers Luke shaking to pieces in his arms, remembers the feeling of pure elation with a dash of anxiety and a breath of relief. He remembers the smile against his lips, the way Luke laughed into his mouth.  He pulls back and sets his hands on Luke’s cheeks, rubs his thumbs over his soft skin with the utmost care and tenderness. Luke’s lips are soft and warm against his (not chapped, of course, because one, he moisturizes, and two, he’s pure perfection). He remembers the way his hand felt on the small of Luke’s back, the texture of that buttery yellow suit jacket that Luke had _insisted_ on wearing when they got married beneath his fingers.

 

Luke beams up at Han and gives his behind a little pat. “I’ll see you after story time,” he tells him, the promise of some long-awaited quiet time by the fireplace twinkling in his eyes. With that, the two of them pass each other and Luke heads to Rey’s room. 

 

He finds her under the covers with Socky in her arms, waiting for him and fighting to keep her tired eyes open. “Hiya, peanut…” He kneels down at her bedside, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. “Did you and Papa have a good story time?” 

 

“Monkeys on the bed…” she mumbles sleepily. 

 

“You read about the monkeys jumping on the bed?” he asks curiously. 

 

Rey lifts Socky off of her chest and bounces him on the mattress a little. She yawns. “No jumping…” 

 

“That’s right, no jumping.” Luke’s hand travels up to the top of her head, and Rey’s eyelids begin to droop shut as he begins to stroke her hair lovingly. “Now it’s time to settle down…”

 

Rey’s eyebrows furrow. “Aw…” 

 

Luke grins and carefully slides his fingers through her hair. “Tomorrow is a new day—and it’s gonna be so exciting…We’ll get up and watch the parade, and then everyone will come over, and we’ll have lots to eat and celebrate Papa’s birthday…All that is waiting for you in the morning…But it’s time to rest now. I love you, Rey.” He gives her a kiss, and of course, gives Socky a kiss too when she holds him out towards Luke. 

 

Her smile is drowsy and just barely there. “Love you, Daddy…” 

 

He can’t remember when he started guiding his kids through a meditation until they fell asleep, but it works like a charm every time, and most of the time it manages to keep away the nightmares. He keeps stroking Rey’s hair as he tells her all about how sleepy her body’s getting, from head to toe. 

 

“Your eyes are getting sleepy…your nose is getting sleepy…” Even Rey, who very rarely gets into her bed without a fight, can’t resist the ebb and flow of his voice. The tension slowly starts seeping out of her shoulders as he tells her that “Your shoulders are getting very sleepy…and your arms are getting sleepy…your hands are getting sleepy…all your fingers are getting sleepy…” By the time he reaches the tips of her toes, Rey has completely passed out, snuggled under her blanket with her stuffed animal. Luke smiles softly and kisses her head one last time before pulling himself to his feet. 

 

He makes sure her night light is on before he quietly closes the door behind him. 

 

Han has a special voice he uses when he reads bedtime stories; not the silly, ridiculous voices he uses during the day, but one that’s soft and tender, just a low rumble in his chest. Luke can hear it as he reaches Ben’s bedroom, leaning against the doorframe as he watches Han sit on Ben’s bed with their son in his lap, pointing to the pictures as he reads. 

 

“ _It’s time for bed, little deer, little deer_ ,” he murmurs, smiling, “ _The very last kiss is almost here._ ” He presses his lips to Ben’s soft hair and shifts out from behind him so that he can lay down. He wraps the blankets around Ben the way he likes and turns the page again. “ _The stars on high are shining bright…Sweet dreams, my darling, sleep well…_ ” He shows Ben the final page of the book. “ _Goodnight._ ” Then, carefully, he closes the book, hugging Ben and giving him another kiss on the cheek. “Night, kiddo. I love you.” 

 

With a yawn, Ben points to himself, and then crosses his arms over his chest before pointing back to Han, who grins and returns the gesture. 

 

“I love you too, bud.” Han slides off the bed and places the book back on the shelf, smooching Luke on the cheek too on his way out of the room. 

 

Luke kneels at Ben’s bedside too, gives him and Ellie kisses, and performs the same special “magic” that he did for Rey, this time rubbing Ben’s shoulders the way he likes until he signs a sleepy _I love you_ and falls asleep. He sits there for just a moment, remembering with perfect clarity the first time his son ever fell asleep in his arms. He rests his cheek against Ben’s back, closing his eyes and listening to his heartbeat. He remembers the first time he feltthis, too, his baby’s heart thumping against his skin. He remembers Ben’s first breaths, his first cries—he remembers _everything_ just like it was yesterday. 

 

He remembers the first time he saw his daughter’s perfect little face, the way she felt, tiny and delicate and warm in his arms. He remembers the sound of her wailing, waving her fists around like a little madwoman. Even when she screamed, and even when she kept them up all night, she was still the most perfect little peanut…and now, two years have flown by and she’s already walking and talking a mile a minute (just like her Papa…). Soon, she won’t be able to fit into their arms anymore either. Luke takes a deep breath and feels absolutely blessed and totally _complete_. 

 

“I love you, baby Ben,” he whispers as he kisses Ben’s shoulder. “Goodnight.” 

 

When Luke finally gets downstairs, there’s a mug of hottea waiting for him on the coffee table. He picks it up and smiles as he curls up on the couch under a blanket. The fire’s roaring, and he can hear Han whistling to Artoo from the back door, beckoning him inside. Both Han and Artoo ascend onto the couch at the same time, and the three of them watch TV together until they all start to get drowsy. 

 

Han never thought there’d be something so nice about brushing your teeth with someone. And yet, he loves getting ready for bed with Luke—watching him wash his face and walk around in his bathrobe. It’s especially intimate to watch him take his hand off and set it on the nightstand; it means Luke is comfortable enough around Han to let himself be bare. Han steals more than one minty kiss while they stand by the sink together, and he steals a few more while Luke gets his pajamas and eye mask on. 

 

“What was that for?” Luke asks, glancing up from his book and adjusting his reading glasses as Han pulls away from yet another kiss. 

 

“Oh, you know,” Han replies vaguely with a shrug, “Just ‘cause.” 

 

Luke sets his book and his glasses down, rolling over onto Han’s hips. “Just ‘cause, huh? Aren’t you the romantic…” He flattens his body out against Han’s and yawns into his shoulder. They lay like that for a moment, just listening to each other breathe, before Luke feels a little paw pushing against his lower back, and then three more. He laughs and tries to keep still. “Is Artoo sitting on my butt?” 

 

Han huffs out a laugh against Luke’s cheek. “Yeah.” He gently lifts Artoo up and away, and sets him on the edge of the mattress once Luke rolls back to his own side of the bed. He feels Luke roll onto his belly and hug the blankets tight around himself, and lays down next to him, draping an arm over his hips. “Love you, cream,” he mumbles against the back of Luke’s neck. He smells good, like lavender and honey. 

 

Luke yawns and reaches out to turn out the light. “I love you too, peaches.” 

 

“Night.” 

 

“Goodnight.” 


End file.
